Ohio lawmaker says teachers shouldn't get snow days

COLUMBUS -- We all know this has been a rough winter with more school snow days than we have had in years. Right now, the legislature is deciding what to do for districts who are out of the 5 calamity days.

A final vote hasn't taken place yet, but the debate has become emotional over whether teachers should be paid for snow days if they aren't working.

One Republican legislator Rep. Lynn Wachtman said giving districts extra calamity days so they don't have to make up the days throws away $460 million in state and federal money spent on K-12 education.

Wachtmann said most businesses are open even when school is closed, so if the kids can't get to school, the teachers should be required to come in. "Why can't the rest of the education community come to work and maybe learn something if that's what they need to do? Why give them another two days to cheat the kids out of their academic education?"

Wachtmann says even if school is cancelled, teachers should go into work anyway to get their work done.

Teachers contracts are local decisions, and unions have said their main concern this year has been that students are not going to school in unsafe conditions